In case you weren't aware, Patch 8 of Baldur's Gate 3—which is adding 12 whole new subclasses—accidentally got released on the PlayStation 5 for a bit, yesterday. It's since been pulled, and Larian recommends rolling back the patch if you did manage to install it, but that's not stopped theorycrafters from digging into the new goodies.
Typically-speaking, I'd let something like this lie—and I feel obliged to state that all of this is subject to change—but given the screenshots I'm about to cite are being posted to a subreddit of over 180,000 people, I figure the displacer beast is already out of the bag of holding on this one. Besides, as far as accidental leaks go, "getting the majority of your playerbase frothing at the mouth with build-crafting enthusiasm" isn't a terrible outcome.
As for what's on offer? A confirmation that official, non-modded blade cantrips are on their way! In case you aren't familiar with Dungeons & Dragons 5e, let me explain: The "blade" class of cantrips, which includes Booming and Green Flame Blade, are some of the best cantrips from the TTRPG. They permit a bunch of different builds, such as the infamous Sorcadin—but they're also a massive boon to existing subclasses. The Arcane Trickster rogue, for example, benefits massively from them—it's basically free damage.
- Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 testers are whispering that a previously mediocre subclass is now an S-tier war god of infinite thunder smites, but there's no way it can last
- Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 8 is so big, it needed its own patch before it even released, and we're one step closer to a Permanent Booming Blade Economy
The real trick is that a blade cantrip counts as a weapon attack, which means you can slap your Divine Smites, Sneak Attacks, Superiority Dice—anything that trips on an attack—over it. This screenshot of Booming Blade even implies that, unlike the TTRPG, Larian'll let you combine it with the Extra Attack feat—though there's every chance that this is just a bug and won't be in the full build because that's, er, busted to the Nine Hells and back.
I won't go over all 12 subclasses' build potential, or we'll be here all day (though user r/_Veni_Vidi_Vigo_ is posting lots more examples). There's some really exciting honourable mentions to get through, however.
The Giant barbarian is poised to be nutty. While thrown weapon builds aren't much to write home about in the TTRPG, in Baldur's Gate 3, the absolute cavalcade of magic items dedicated to throwing your sword at something makes them extremely strong. At level 6, the BG3 version of the subclass gets its D&D counterpart, Elemental Cleaver, which gives any weapon the "thrown" property and allows them to return to the user's hand.
This blows open the amount of weapons this kind of build can effectively use, since the Eldritch Knight—the prior king of hurlers—doesn't change the weapon's actual property with its Bonded Weapon feat. In other words, you can hurl a greatsword at someone to establish dominance. What a day.
The Swashbuckler rogue also looks incredibly nutty. Rakish Audacity simply gives you access to Sneak Attack if you're within 1.5 feet of the target and don't have disadvantage—whereas its TTRPG equivalent also requires you to be spatially 1v1ing them to gain the same benefit. The real eye-boggler here are the Dirty Tricks bonus actions, which all appear to automatically confer advantage while also having a secondary effect, such as blinding your enemy with pocket sand or disarming them.
Hexblade warlock is the same incredible 1-level dip it's always been. Weapon proficiencies, armour proficiencies, Charisma-scaling melee weapons, you name it—but the real surprising homebrewery going on here is with the Drunken Master monk subclass. Now, granted, all of the monks in Baldur's Gate 3 were given a facelift compared to their 5e counterparts—but the Drunken Master still gets some new unique toys.
Intoxicating Strike, for example, lets people potentially get drunk after you clock them. This isn't thrilling (disadvantage on Dexterity checks helps you push people about, but that's it). However, it also gets something called Life of the Party at level 7—which gives you a stacking armour class and attack boost against your chosen target. In addition, this subclass doesn't care about the effects of getting drunk, meaning weapons like the Punch-Drunk Bastard might shine on them.
Ultimately, there's lots to be excited about. While most of this might be subject to change over the course of the stress test, it's still a delicious early taste of what's to come. It's no wonder we're all still playing this dang thing. I'm going to have so many new builds to try, and no DM to be upset at me for trying them.
